WHEN SERVICES ARE UNDERFUNDED

Too often, disability services are
under-prioritized by the public agencies that fund them.

In Illinois, people with disabilities wait an
average of seven years before they and their families
know whether they qualify for supports such as housing and job coaching, even
as court rulings demand the wait time be reduced.

That people with disabilities are often
neglected by public sector funders of social services is a symptom of the
systemic devaluation of their lives by society, as evidenced by the story of
the Toledo, Ohio man who attempted to raise money for the health care of his
infant son, who has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum and Trisomy 9 Mosaic
Syndrome via flyers at the mall, only for one person calling for him to “let the baby die,” saying that to do so would
be “Darwinism.”

Fortunately, there is reason to hope. Though
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975, has made great
strides in allowing equal access to education for children with disabilities,
advocates have suggested a number of ways to further advance the law’s goals. These include
combattng implicit racial bias in special education, expanding judicial
definitions of the law and greater specificity in its terms when reauthorizing
it.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, a group of nine
disability services providers has formed the Disability Action Coalition to better provide
for Ireland’s disability community, as well as to advocate for them to get the
proper funding they need.

In New York, seven social services providers
and about three hundred volunteer organizations statewide have formed New York Disability Advocates to address the
funding shortages they have faced. More specifically, they have requested a
three percent funding increase annually for the next five years to reverse the
inadequate funding the state has provided them in recent years.

When people with disabilities are not treated
as a burden on society, it is easier to make the case for funding the social
services they need. When these services are properly-funded, life for people
with disabilities and their families becomes much easier.

Michael Rock is a New York City-based reporter
and self-advocate with autism. A graduate of Brandeis University, his work has
appeared in Kings County Politics, Chelsea Now, Our Town, Queens County
Politics, and WhoWhatWhy.

Like everyone else, the individuals are spending a lot of time at home, but they are still keeping busy. Here's some of the beautiful placemats they made with with assistance of our incredible staff. #opwdd #disabilities #nycopwdd #nysopwdd #specialneeds

Thank you Nurses for what you’ve done, what you do and for all the incredible things you will do in the future. #NursesWeek #NursesWeek2020 #NurseAppreciationWeek #iacny #opwdd #nysopwdd #nycopwdd #autism #specialneeds #developmentaldisabilities

AABR stands with organizations across the city, state, and the country in saluting the selfless work of our nurses. Thank you, nurses, for your courage, heart, and selflessness. http://aabr.org/nurseappreciation #NursesWeek #NursesWeek2020 #opwdd #autism #specialneeds #nycopwdd #nysopwdd